Tagkle-block



3 Sheets-Sheet l. R. WILSON. TACKLE BLOCK.

(No M 0del.)

WITNESSES (No Model.) 3. Sheets-Sheet 2.

, R. WILSON.

TACKLE BLOCK.

No. 585,145. Patented June 22, 1897.

I WI-TNESSES I MT 2253:;

v l 7'; I V orney m: Nor-ms PEYERS co. Puma-urns, wAsumcn'ou. n. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

R. WILS ON. TACKLE BLOCK.

No. 585,145. Patented June 22, 1897.

I Attorney FFICE.

PATENT ROBERT XVILSON, OF NEWARK, NEWV JERSEY.

TACKLE-B'ILOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,145, dated June 22,1897. Application filed December 17, 1896. Serial No. 616,047. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, ROBERT WVILsON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tackle-Blocks and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in tackle-blocks; and it consistsin a novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described.

Theobject of my invention is to provide a tackle-block of simple anddurable construction in which the automatic locking or gripping of thesling is provided for without the necessity for slacking or releasingthe hauling-rope and in which the gripping or releasing for the purposeof sustaining the load in any desired position or to permit it to dropwill be accomplished by simply changing the angle of inclination of thehau1ing-rope with respect to the pulley.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a general view of my device,illustrating its use. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my block, showin gone of the frame-plates removed and showing in dotted lines the grippingmechanism in the releasing position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2,but showing the position of the device when an operator standingimmediately beneath the pulley desires to slack the rope for the purposeof lowering the object suspended by the block. Fig. 4 is a detail viewof one of the frame-plates. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of thelockinglever as applied to the grip-actuating lever and to therope-thimble, respectively. Fig. 6 is a detail view of thegrip-actuating lever. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the pulley.

Referringto the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate a pair of frame-plates of thetackle-block retained in parallel relation by intermediate spacing-studs3 and provided with a pair of depending ears 4, connected by theswivelbolt 5.

6 indicates the sheave of the block mounted on the shaft 7, carried bythe block-frame, and 8 indicates a guide-pulley, preferably providedwith the concave periphery 9, lo-

cated in the perpendicular plane of the rear edge of the sheave 6, butat the point adjacent to the bottom of the frame.

The guide-pulley 8 is provided with concave sides 10 and is mounted onthe stud 11, projecting from the frame-plate 1, being secured thereto bya screw 12, screwed into the stud and having its flat head seated in theconcave side of the pulley. The purpose of this peculiar construction isto permit the oscillation of the grip-actuating lever 13 (provided witha suitable guide 14 and pivoted upon a stud, as at 14) between the sideof the guide-pulley and the adjacent frame-plate. The grip-actuatinglever is preferably of angular construction, its pivot being at thejuncture of its angular extremities and is pivotally connected at oneextremity to the contiguous ends 15 of a pair of toggle-levers 16,pivoted at their opposite extremities to a pair of pivoted grips 17. Thegrips 17 are preferably mounted between the frame-plates 1 and 2 bymeans of laterally-projecting studs 18, rotatingin recesses 19 in theframe-plates. Any suitable means for accomplishing the desired purposemay, however, be employed as, for instance, it might be preferable insome instances to mount the grips upon shafts or bolts passing throughthe frame-plates and secured by nuts, as usual in this class of devlce.

20 indicates suitable grip stops located upon the inner face of one orboth of the frame-plates and designed to limit the movement of the gripswhen swung upon their pivots for the purpose of gripping or releasingthe sling-rope.

21 indicates a preferably swiveled eye mounted upon the shaft 5 withinthe frame and designed to support one extremity 22 of the sling-rope 23,which supports, as usual, a pulley-block 24, carrying a hook 25,designedto be connected to the object desired to be raised. The sling 23 passesbetween the frame-plates and grips and over the sheave 6, being guidedby the guide-pulley 8 and terminating in the sheave end of the rope, towhich power is applied in the manner well known in the art.

The mechanism thus far described constitutes a tackle-block providedwith gripping and releasing mechanism which may be actuated to grip orrelease the rope and thus securely retain at any desired elevation theobject operated upon or to permit such object to be lowered when thesheave-strand of the rope is slacked. 5 I shall 110w proceed to describea simple and efficient device by means of which I connect the grippingand releasing mechanism with the sheave-strand'in such manner as topermit of the actuation of the former by changing the angle ofinclination of the latter and without slacking the sheave-strand 26.Located adjacent to the lower side of the block and preferablysubstantially concentric with the free extremity of the gripaetuatinglever when in the releasing position I provide a toothed rack 27,preferably formed integral with the frame-plate 2 and having a series ofteeth 28, preferably curved and disposed rearwardly at a considerableangle with respect to the radii of the rack. To the free extremity ofthe lever 13 I pivotally connect what I will term a locking-lever 29,terminating in a U-shaped portion 30, somewhat out of line, and providedat its open end with a locking-pin 31, designed to engage the teeth 28upon the segmental rack 27.

32 indicates a rope thimble pivotally mounted upon a stud 33, projectingfrom the rear side of the lock-lever and designed to receive thesheave-strand 26, but to permit of the free movement of the latter.

3% is a weak spring intermediate the gripactuating lever and theblock-frame designed to urge the lever in the direction to engage thegrips 17 with the rope. Thus it will be seen that as the position of thegrips will be determined by the position of the grip-actuating lever theposition of the locking-lever with respect to the rack will control saidactuating-lever and will in this manner determine the movement of thegrips, as it Will appear that as said rack-bar is concentric with theextremity of the actuating-lever when the latter is in the releasedposition, it will be eccentric with respect thereto in the lockingposition, and consequently the adjustment of the locking-lever willaccomplish the purpose desired.

The operation of my device is as follows: Supposing the device to be inthe position indicated in Fig. 2, the grips being in the releasingposition and the pin 31 being in engagement with one of the teeth 28,power is applied to the sheave-strand 26 of the rope, and so long as thestrand remains at the angle indicated the sheave-rope will move freelyover the sheave and will take up the sling for the purpose of elevatingthe object connected with the pulley-block 24. Supposing, now, that itis desired to lock the object operated upon at a predetermined elevationand without permitting its dropping back, even slightly, during suchoperation, the angle of inclination of the sheave-rope is shifted so asto disengage the pin 31 from the tooth 28. The spring 34c willimmediately retract the grip-actuatin g lever, swinging the grips upontheir pivots and causing their adjacent corrugated faces to securelygrip the rope. It will be observed that the gripping of the ropes is notproduced by the slacking of the sheave-rope, as is usually the case, butthat it is accomplished solely and entirely by the changing of the angleof inclination at which the sheave-strand leaves the block. It isclearly apparent, however, that if the spring 321: is made sufficientlyweak the grips will simply be brought into contact with the rope andwill be automatically actuated to grip the same by the weight of theload. IVhen it is desired, as it frequently is, that the device shouldbe operated from a point immc' diately below the pulley, thelocking-lever may be swung to the position indicated in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, in which position pin 31 will engage the lower edge of aprojection 35, disposed oppositely to the teeth 28, but having a similarfunctionnamely, the retention of the locking-lever in the lockingposition or its release when the sheave-strand is shifted to a differentangle.

I do not desire to limit myself to the details of construction hereinshown and described, but reserve to myself the right to modify, vary, orchange them at will within the scope of my invention.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tackle-block designed for use in connection with a rope, thecombination with a sheave, gripping mechanism and grip-actuatingmechanism, of locking mechanism designed to be controlled by themovement of the rope, substantially as specified.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a sheaveand gripping mechanism, of a rope passing over the sheave and designedto be gripped by the gripping mechanism, grip-actuating mechanism andlocking mechanism operatively connected with the grip-actuatingmechanism and in operativc relation with the sheave end of the rope.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a sheaveand gripping mechanism, of a grip-actuatin g lever, locking mechanismoperatively connected with the grip-actuatin g lever, and means foractuating said locking mechanism, substantially as specified.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with asheave, grips and gripactuating lever, of a rack, a locking-leveroperatively connected to the grip-actuating lever and in operativerelation with the rack, and means for connecting a rope or the like withthe loekin g-leve r, substantially as speci- 5. In a device of thecharacter described, the combination with a sheave and a pair of pivotedgrips, of a spring-actuated grip-actuatin g lever, and locking mechanismcarried by thegrip-actuating lever and mechanism. designed to be engagedby the rope and to actuate the locking mechanism, substantially asspecified.

6. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a sheave and a pair of pivoted grips, of aspring-actuatedgrip-actuating lever, a locking-lever, means forretaining the locking-lever, and a rope-thimble carried by saidlocking-lever, substantially as specified.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with asheave, gripping mechanism, grip-actuating mechanism and a locking-leveroperatively connected thereto, of a rack provided with a series of teethand with a projection disposed oppositely to said teeth and designed tocooperate with the lockinglever, and means for actuating saidlockinglever, substantially as specified.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a frame,sheave, gripping mechanism and grip-actuating mechanism, of cooperatinglocking mechanism carried by the grip-actuating mechanism and by theframe, substantially as specified.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a frame,sheave, gripping mechanism, grip-actuating mechanism and alocking-lever, of a toothed rack carried by the frame designed to beengaged by the locking-lever and mechanism carried by said lever anddesigned to engage a rope, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT WILSON.

Witnesses:

MAGGIE W. SUTPHEN, WILLIAM MEAD.

